"I came from New York, so having a local pizzeria is very common up there, where here it's not as common," Greg D'esposito told The Sun News in May, shortly after Amici Pizza opened. "It's not as densely populated. Everything is a little more spread out."
D'esposito is one of Amici's owners, and he was talking about pizza. He was also describing Carolina Forest. The neighborhood has always been spread out. Most errands mean driving from one parking lot to the next.
That changed in two spots on Carolina Forest Boulevard this year. One is the block around the Carolina Forest Library and Recreation Center. The other is the pond at 5020 Carolina Forest Blvd. Both now let you park once and fill an afternoon on foot, and October's calendars show how well that works.
The library block got a playground built for staying
On Thursday, Aug. 14, Horry County Parks and Recreation opened the new inclusive playground at the Carolina Forest Recreation Center, 2254 Carolina Forest Blvd. It took about 18 months to build. It replaces a play area that was more than 15 years old, built mostly of wood, and torn down earlier this year.
County Administrator Barry Spivey called it a $1.5 million investment, paid for with a mix of impact fees and life-cycle replacement funds. The playground has an aquatic theme and is designated a National Demonstration Site. Its features include smooth, accessible paths, adaptive swings and sensory elements.
Two details explain what makes it different. It has transfer stations for children who use wheelchairs. It also has expression swings, which let a child and a caregiver swing together. "We were intentional with the design," Parks and Recreation Director Ray Dunham said. "Although most people wouldn't recognize these subtle, inclusive design features, those that need them appreciate them." It is the county's third all-inclusive playground. The other two are in Conway and at Loris Nature Park.
That anticipation was clear at the ribbon cutting: one attendee told MyHorryNews the playground had been eagerly awaited all summer.
The playground sits next to buildings that are open long hours. The library is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday until 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The rec center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday until 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Inside the rec center you'll find a full-size gym, a fitness room and a rock climbing wall. County parks are open from dawn to dusk.
The pizzeria across the street waited years for this spot
A playground visit runs longer when dinner is across the street. Amici Pizza opened on May 8, directly across from the library and rec center.
The location was the plan from the start. Lisa and Domenic Fuda moved to Myrtle Beach five years ago. Before that, they had run their own place together in Albany, New York. They put a deposit on a site in Carolina Forest before the building existed. That project stalled, so they opened Nonna's Taste of Italy instead. A few years later, the original property became available, and they took it.
"It's a huge community here, so I love that the kids can come ride their bikes," Lisa Fuda said. "We just wanted it because the location is so prime, and it's close to home."
The menu has New York staples like meat lovers pizza, calzones and garlic knots. The owners are also adding square pies. The Hot Berry Square comes with raspberry habanero jam and pepperoni, and the Chicken Marsala square uses a homemade Marsala sauce. A sandwich called The Staten Vodka comes from one of D'esposito's dishes in Staten Island. A local artist painted the slogan "Your Neighborhood Slice" on one wall, and another wall has a mural of a New York block. Amici is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., two hours after the library closes Monday through Thursday.
"My actual neighbors come in here. It's not strangers," Fuda said.
Down the boulevard, a path around a pond connects two restaurants
The second cluster works the same way. It's built around a footpath.
South Coast Beer Project, Carolina Forest's first brewery, opened at 5020 Carolina Forest Blvd. in late May. It comes from Coastal Concepts Hospitality, the company owned by Chris Evans and Susan Heryadi. They also run The Grumpy Monk, Hop N Wich in Conway, and The Sneaky Beagle, which sits next door across the pond. A 1,000-foot path around the pond connects the two, and customers can carry their drinks between them.
The building has 9,000 square feet and seats 150 to 175 people inside, with outdoor space for about 250 to 300 more. Head brewer Brock Kurtzman told WMBF in April that the brewery was "definitely geared toward the locals in Carolina Forest." He described the setup this way: "You can leave your dogs at the dog park, and you can take the path that goes right around that beautiful pond to us and try some of the crafted beers that we make in-house here that are not available anywhere else."
The beers are named for the Carolinas:
- Blondes do it better, a blonde ale
- Queen Anne's Revenge, a mocha white stout named for Blackbeard's ship
- Board Meeting, an American brown ale
- A raspberry wheat and an amber
The food menu focuses on wings and pizza. Outside there's an 18-by-12-foot video wall for games, a fire pit, a live music stage, yard games, umbrella seating by the pond and a shaded beer garden.
The dog park belongs to The Sneaky Beagle. The Sun News described it in 2025 as enclosed and next to the restaurant's patio. The Beagle's website describes dog-friendly dining and a menu for dogs. Rules and hours can change, so call the Beagle before your first visit with a dog.
October puts both clusters to work
The two places don't compete for the same hours, and the October calendars show it. The library runs free daytime and early-evening programs. The pond has music on Friday nights. Both restaurants mark Halloween all day.
| Date | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 2 | South Coast and The Sneaky Beagle | Live music at both, 6–9 p.m. South Coast hosts Zack Patton |
| Sat., Oct. 3 | Carolina Forest Library | Books & Barks, 11 a.m.–noon, ages 5–10 |
| Tue., Oct. 6 | The Sneaky Beagle | National Taco Day, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Thursdays, Oct. 8, 15, 22 | Carolina Forest Library | Preschool Storytime, 11 a.m.–noon, ages 2+ |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | South Coast | Victoria Humphreys, 6–9 p.m. |
| Mon., Oct. 12 | Carolina Forest Library | Out of the Ark's Creepy Crawly Critters, 1–2 p.m., ages 4+, registration required |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | South Coast | Michael Aarons, 6–9 p.m. |
| Tue., Oct. 20 | Carolina Forest Library | Mini Pumpkin Painting, 4–4:45 p.m., then Family Trivia, 5:30–6:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Carolina Forest Library | Ghostly Gathering for adults with the Horry County Museum, 2–3:30 p.m. Galaxy Pumpkins for teens 13–17, 4–5 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | South Coast | Brendan Kirby, 6–9 p.m. |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Carolina Forest Library | Adult trivia, 5:30–6:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | South Coast | Devin Dove, 6–9 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | South Coast and The Sneaky Beagle | Halloween at both, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Costumes welcome at South Coast |
The Sneaky Beagle also has live music on each of those Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m. That makes the pond path most useful on Friday nights. You can hear one set, walk around the water and hear another.
Tuesday, Oct. 20 is the best example of the library block at work. You could plan an evening like this:
- Mini Pumpkin Painting at the library, 4 to 4:45 p.m., for ages 4 and up.
- Time on the new playground before dusk.
- Family Trivia back at the library, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., for teams of two to four.
- Dinner at Amici across the street, which stays open until 9 p.m.
All of that happens without moving the car. Both trivia nights are free, but registration opens Thursday, Oct. 1 at 9 a.m., so families who want a spot should sign up early. The library also offers Art Journaling on Oct. 14, where the goal is making "bad" art, and Crochet-A-Pumpkin on Oct. 19, which is beginner-friendly.
The rec center campus has more coming
The playground is the first step in a larger plan for the rec center campus. The county intends to turn the old playground site into soccer fields and more parking, funded by impact fees. "This playground is the first of many site improvements on this campus," Dunham said at the ribbon cutting.
The brewery has plans beyond its October calendar too. In April, Evans said he hoped to hold outdoor movie nights and set up bounce houses for kids. Neither appears on October's event list, so check the South Coast events page for when they start.
If the Oct. 20 library evening or a Friday on the pond path has you thinking about which part of Carolina Forest puts you within walking or biking distance of these spots, I'm happy to talk through the map with you. Reach out to Alexandria Bevier anytime. Let's Connect.
